Albufeira

Albufeira, a coastal resort in Central Algarve, Portugal is located approximately 45 kilometres from Faro Airport.

Until the 1960’s when tourism arrived, Albufeira was a small fishing village. The resort name originates from its Moorish connection, it was once known as ‘Al-Buhera’ which translates to ‘castle on the sea’. It has steadily developed into a large extended holiday resort, possibly the most popular in the Algarve.

A pretty resort characterised by its quaint whitewashed villas clinging to the cliffs, Albufeira is divided into two main areas, the Old Town and the modern area Areias de Sao Joao or ‘The Strip’ as it is often referred to.

Albufeira is quite spread out in area. In addition to the Old Town and The Strip, there are other smaller resorts which are classified as part of the Albufeira area. To the East along the coast, Balaia, Olhos d’Agua and Falesia are located, and to the West, Sao Rafael, Gale and Salgados can be found.

The resort of Albufeira has two main beaches – Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach) and Praia do Tunel (Tunnel Beach) which is accessed via a tunnel drilled through the cliffs on the West side of the old town. There are many other stunning beaches in the locality of Albufeira such as Gale, Salgados, Castelo, Coelha and Sao Rafael.

On the western outskirts of the old town, the Marina can be found. It is characterised by many colourful striking buildings painted in colours of blue, orange, green, yellow and pink. There are various waterside cafes and bars, a yacht club and shops. Many of the boat trips and diving excursions depart from Albufeira marina.

Holiday makers to Albufeira can enjoy a large variety of excursions including water parks, a Zoomarine park where it is possible to swim with dolphins, various boat trips, bull fights and day trips to Lisbon, Seville and Gibraltar.

A great way to get around and see the whole resort is the open top sightseeing bus, which travels all around Albufeira and its surrounding areas. The complete tour takes around one hour and 30 minutes. There is also a tourist train which travels between the Old Town and the New Strip.

For golfing enthusiasts the resort of Vilamoura is only approximately 10 km away, where there are 6 championship golf courses to suit all abilities.

The neighbouring resort of Armacao de Pera is also a short drive away.

Albufeira is a perfect holiday destination for families, couples and singles of all ages and is central for all the tourist attractions in this part of the Algarve.